Maybe He Won't Find Out What I Know
by Jessy Dalton
Summary: Sequel to I Hope He Is A Gentleman. Carmelita's old friend shows up, ready to turn her life around. Sly is healing in Carmelita's living room.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters except Roxanne, the others belong to Sucker Punch.

Author's note: Thank you to all the people who read my first story, I Hope He is a Gentleman! You guys are awesome and very kind and I hope I exceed your expectations. This one will have a lot more from Carmelita's view, a little from Bentley's view and even some of Monique, you didn't think she'd just disappear, right? Anyways, thank you very much! I hope to prove you proud!

Hugs&Kisses -- Jessy Dalton

Roxanne stood on the cold windy street corner, shifting around in her too tight, too small ensamble waiting for this night to get started because she knew the sooner it started the sooner the end would come. Normally endings were bad, for example, the ending of a good book or movie. And many people often think that goodbye's had nothing good about them at all but to Roxanne, endings and goodbye's were the best thing about her job. An ending to a half hour of absolute misery and a goodbye to a man she'd never see again.

She hated her job so badly she was already closing her eyes to imagine the shower she'd take as soon as she got to the run-down apartment she shared with two other girls in her line of buisiness. She shivered because the clothing she wore was very little, her shirt was too low and her skirt was too short. Her hair was too big and her heels were too high. She crossed her arms over her ample chest and scanned her eyes over the street. She saw a figure walking towards her. He was a small, probably 6 inches shorter than she was. 'Nothing to worry about.' Roxie, as her friends called her, promised herself but that didn't stop the pit forming in her stomach. He walked up to her and she saw he was a decent looking bobcat except he had greasy hair and yellow teeth. He handed her a fifty dollar bill. 'Here we go.' She thought to herself, praying that a miracle fall into her lap soon.

Carmelita had just walked into her apartment and started taking off her jacket and shoes. She removed her badge, belt and her stun-gun and layed them on the table next to the door. She was muttering something in her native language of Spanish. She seemed to completely forget about Sly, who was sitting up on her couch, catching a few words that rolled fluidly off her tongue. When she said something about taking a shower, Sly felt guilty not reminding the beautiful young woman he was there but his roguish side told him to just sit back and watch the show. She walked into her room and grabbed a pink towel before heading into the bathroom. Sly heard the water turn on and after a moment he heard Carmelita's beautifully accented voice singing what sounded like a spanish lullaby. He grinned in a cheshire manner at the many wonders Carmelita seemed to reveal to him. He had only moved in that morning but since then he had learned that she drank her coffee black, before she went to work she always mde sure her hair was braided and tied with two black elastics, and last but not least, certainly not least, she always had a song rolling of her accented tongue. After fifteen minutes, Carmelita walked out of the bathroom, her body barely covered with the pink towel, and her hair, which slightly waved while wet, was combed back. Her eyes searched the

living room and when they landed on Sly, he smiled devilishly. Carmelita's temper instantly flared and horrible things began swimming out of her beautiful mouth. Her already reddish-brown fur became a shade darker and she ran into her room. Sly heard some thumping and crashings and for a moment he forgot his pains that lived in his head, arms, legs, and torso. She came in a few minutes later wearing a black t-shirt and white shorts.

"How dare you just sit by and watch me!" She yelled at the thief that was resting on her coach's pull out bed. He still didn't have a shirt on but his broad shoulders and most of his attractive abs were wrapped in white bandages. Carmelita, after a long process of carrying him to a bus station, ignoring odd looks that were directed at her and her half-naked accomplice, and then finally managing to get him to her apartment, had dressed his wounds. She found it hard to keep her mind on the wounds after the blood had been washed off because he had such an attractive body. Sly noticed she was swooning and he would normally had flexed his muscles to show the absolute strength they had but the pain that overtook his body had overwhelmed him. "Well, Querera, what was I supposed to do? If i had startled you i'd most likely be fried to a crisp with your shock pistol." Carmelita felt a tingle go up and down her spine when she heard Sly call her love in her native language. Carmelita shook her head, she was too tired to argue with the raccoon.

"How're you feeling?" She said, genuinely concerned. She told herself it was so she could start to chase him up and down the streets of Paris but the many butterflies in her stomach voice a different opinion. She started to walk into the kitchen, and if she had not turned around, she would've seen a very charming and handsome smile emanate from within her ring-tailed associate. "Well, I feel touched that you care so much about me." he replied. Her gorgeous head whipped around and gave him a scowl, "You know what I mean, Ringtail."

"Aw, you have a pet name for me?" He said, his trademark smile appearing on his handsome face.

Carmelita was embarrased that she did, in fact, have a pet name for him and she accidently revealed it. "Don't flatter yourself." She said bluntly.

"Darn, I thought for a second you were getting sweet on me." He said, pretending to be hurt but couldn't hide his smile for more than a few seconds.

Carmelita turned around and walked to the fridge to hide her smile that the goofy raccoon earned. She opened the fridge, "What do you want for dinner?" She asked him. "Whatever you want, Querera." He almost sang from the couch. A familiar tingle raced on the speedway of her spine. "I'm making enchiladas." She yelled back. He aggreed though he had no idea what an enchilada was but he'd eat just about anything to please Carmelita.

Roxie walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her bright red lipstick had barely faded and the eyeshadow and blush she'd applied had smeared from sweat. When she looked at herself in the mirror, a flood of self-pity and self-disgust washed throughout her body. She was going to look for a new job, she promised herself, but a tear rolled down her cheek when she thought about her poor qualifications. She'd tried marajauna once and now it was imprinted in her hair, she wouldn't pass a drug test. She barely passed high school with a 2.56 GPA and she dropped out of her first class she enrolled in at the community college. Soon one tear turned into many and she found herself sitted on the toilet, her hands covering her face, trying to silence her crying. After 10 minutes she turned on the water of the shower and jumped in. She began washing her hair with her two dollar shampoo. She inhaled the vanilla smell, tomorrow could be a new day. How little she knew.

The next morning Carmelita woke up, got dressed, and left for work silently trying not to wake the sleeping theif on her couch. He needed his sleep. Most of the day she spent working on some paperwork but when it got dark she recieved a complaint of some prostituting on the corner of Lincoln and Abbott St. She grabbed her shock pistol and her badge before she headed out the door. On the drive there she couldn't help but think of how glad she was to have a decent job with a steady, although small, paycheck. Once she got there she saw the woman from behind. She was a cheetah, with long legs, a short skirt, and a tummy baring tube top. Her long platinum orange hair was poofed up at the top to make it look bigger.

"Put your hands up where I can see them and turn to face me." Carmelita said for the thousandth time in her career. Roxanne heard a familiar spanish accented police officer behind her. She swore silently below her breath and turned around. She was greeted by a familiar face, one that belonged to an old best friend she had gone through high school with. The look of suprise on Carmelita's face was comical but it was mirrored by Roxanne's. "Carmelita Fox?, she asked.

Carmelita shook her head, "Roxanne Barnes?" Roxanne dropped her head and started to jog over to her but Carmelita shook her head and said, "No. I'm sorry, but you need to stay right there." You could see her heart break just looking at her face. Carmelita couldn't stand the look on her old friend's face. She dropped her arms and motioned for her to come near her. They hugged and Carmelita inhaled the smell of her vanilla shampoo. 'What am I doing? I'm getting a soft spot for criminals!' She thought. She pulled away.

"Muchacha, what was going though your mind? You are way better than selling your body!" Carmelita said maybe a bit to harshly because at that Roxanne's eyes began to water and her lips started to pucker, trying to fight back tears. She grabbed Carmelita and began to cry into her shoulder. Carmelita tried to comfort her. After a few minutes Carmelita had enough, "Okay. Stop! You're done crying!" Carmelita commanded. Roxanne blinked at her boldness and whiped her eyes. Carmelita lowered her voice, "Are you better than this?" She asked her long lost friend.

"I th-" She started but was quickly interupted by Carmelita.

"Its a yes or no question."

Roxanne looked down at her used red heels, the ones she wore every night for the past few months. "Yes, I am." She whispered, but her heart lifted from the simple truth of that statement. "Yes, Carmelita Fox, I am." Carmelita sighed, knowing she was going to regret what she was about to do. "Then jump in the car. I'll take you home..." But then at that moment, she remembered Sly. "But, um... I have a guest.," She paused and a small smile graced her lips. "But really, he's quite a charmer and actually... i hate to admit it... but he really is a gentleman."

If Sly could only see his lady love, he would have the largest smile she'd seen to date.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was about 11 o'clock. Sly was asleep when Roxanne and Carmelita got home. A cold shiver ran down Roxanne's spine when she saw him, sleeping on the foldable bed that came out of the couch. Roxanne would be fine if she never saw a man in her life again although she couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. His slender body was covered with the blankets, his mouth was slightly open and he was softly snoring. Carmelita didn't mind, her daddy snored and whenever she had a bad dream she would wake up and instant comfort would come to her from the noise. Carmelita unknowingly smiled.

Carmelita turned to her old best friend, "Would you mind sleeping out here?" she asked. Roxanne felt like screaming but instead her eyes flicked nervously to the raccoon. Carmelita noticed her resistance. "I'll sleep out here, you take my bed." Carmelita pointed down the short hall to her bedroom. The cheetah leaned forward and gave the fox a small peck on the cheek. "Gracias, amiga. Soy en tu deuda." She told her. I am in your debt. "We'll talk tomorrow, Chica." Carmelita dismissed her and she grabbed a blanket and lay down in the foldable bed, careful to stay as far away from Sly as possible. She knew though, that in her heart of hearts, she wished she would wake up in his arms. She wished she could lay down next to him and nuzzle her head on his shoulder. 'Why is he always pulling on the strings of my heart?' She asked herself. 'I wish he wasn't so handsome, or so charming, or i wish he had a disgusting habit.' but what she would never admit, never tell a soul was that she wished he had the same feelings. His meaningless flirting was like dangling food in front of someone starving, he was dangling happiness in front of someone lonely.

In her world of the darkest blacks and the palest whites he was her only shade of grey. Raccoon grey to be exact.

Carmelita woke up in about the same position she fell asleep in, her elbow under the pillow and her back facing Sly. She opened her eyes and tried to ignore the disappointment she felt. After a minute she sat up, and gasped in suprise. Unlike herself, Sly had indeed changed position. When they got in he was laying on his side, facing the door but now he had been laying on his back, without a shirt on, revealing part of his amazing abs. She shook her head and got out of bed. She ran to get a quick shower so she'd be done before Sly woke up. After she showered she got dressed and left a note for Roxanne who, like Sly, was still asleep. She grabbed her gun and badge and left fo work.

Roxanne woke up and she took a moment to remember were she was. When it all came back to her she smiled in great gratitude, she's going to turn her life around. And first she needed to shower. She spent a minute looking for a towel and when she found one she made her way to the shower. As she was in the shower, Sly woke up. He smiled when he heard the water in the shower going, he was going to get a repeat performance. He thought it odd that Carmelita didn't learn her lesson but he wasn't complaining. To pass the next few minutes he tugged a shirt on, which took longer than expected considering his injuries and started to straighten up the sheets around him because it was hard to leave the bed. The water turned off after a few minutes and, to Sly's complete suprise, Roxanne walked out. Sly, caught off guard, yelled out loud. Roxanne whirled around and screamed too.

'Who are you?" He yelled. She didn't bother to respond, she just used her long, very visable, legs and ran to Carmelita's room. Once she slammed the door, she pushed her back against it. She looked around the room as her breathing calmed down. On the nightstand she saw a peice of paper, she ran to it, it was a letter from Carmelita. _Rox, When you're reading this I'm going to be at work. Don't mind Sly, he's just a flirtatious raccoon who wouldn't hurt a fly. Con Amor, Carm. _She sighed loudly when she remembered about her friends guest. It seemed that Sly wasn't as lucky to have the privelage of knowing about this tall cheetah. He quickly glanced around and found a phone. He had to call Carmelita. He limped over and dialed the number he knew by heart.

"What do you want?" Carmelita said as she answered the phone. "Carmelita..." He whispered quietly. "There's a cheetah in the house, she just took a shower." He heard her sigh loudly. That was not what he expected, he thought that she'd say something unladylike in spanish then hang up and bust the door open in a matter of minutes. "Mi mapache loco," She muttered. Sly smiled at hearing her call him her crazy raccoon. "I brought Roxanne home last night, she's my old very good friend. Ask her what's going on and she'll explain." She said goodbye and hung up.

Sly sat in his foldable bed, grinning to himself, it all made sense. His stomach growled. After some whining, grouching and a moderate amount of swearing, he got to his feet and limped to the kitchen. He got to the cabinet and he grabbed a banana and made himself some honey-nut cheerios. He sat down at the little table she had set up and began his breakfast. He heard the soft footsteps of a woman. "Eh, senor?" He heard from a high voice with a strong spanish accent. He knew he wouldn't be able to turn around without pain. "Um... sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but can you come stand over there?" He asked, jerking his head to motion across the table. He heard more soft footsteps when he saw a cheetah step into his vision. She held out a hand, "Hola, my name is Roxanne Barnes. I grew up in Spain with Carmelita y we attended the same school. She busted my place of work last night and took mercy on me and brought me home." Sly shook her hand and nodded, listening to her story. "I'm Sly Cooper-" He began but stopped when worry and fear filled her eyes. Her mouth opened slightly in shock. "El maestro ladron? Pero, como?" She whispered quietly. She knew Carmelita wouldn't have let him in if she had known.

"Senorita, yo puedo ser un criminal pero yo soy un caballero." He assured her in her native tongue that he was indeed a gentleman. He then took her hand and kissed the back of it. She blushed attractively and that was the first time Sly noticed her features. She was very good-looking but it was very subtle. You'd have to really look at her before you could see it. She had a small nose with large brownish-red eyes. Her lips weren't full but they were very pretty. "How did you end up here?" She said, Sly had noticed her English wasn't very well. "Well, Carmelita has been on my tail since she was assigned to my case years ago. Recently, I had begun seeing a beautiful girl-" he stopped at the huge smile that blossomed on Roxanne's face. "My lonely friend has finally found love." She said. Sly almost spit out the cheerios he had just put in his mouth.

He swallowed, "No, no, no!", he said. "Her name was Monique Devereaux." He stopped. Roxanne could see in his eyes that he had been hurt, very badly, and he had barely started to heal. "While attending a party with Madamoiuselle Devereaux I was found by Carmelita. Suprisingly we were attacked and we woke up in an abandoned dance studio. I was serisously injured and in return for her escape she agreed to nurse me to health before going back to chasing my 'no good butt' again." He weakly smiled as his inner emotions waged war. Roxanne returned the smile.

"So where did you work?" Sly asked her, he noticed her stomach clench. "You don't need to respond." He told her noticing her hesitation.

She shook her head. "I-I, I was..." She began, her eyes drifted towards her socks. She borrowed some white ones from Carmelita. "I was a prostitute." She said, barely louder than a whisper. A small Oh escaped Sly's lips. He grew suddenly uncomortable. Roxanne smiled, she knew exactly what Sly was thinking about in his uncomfortableness. She clucked her tongue, "That's something to be proud of, Papi. Its the greatest gift you could give a girl." Sly's face lit up with the color of red, so red, in fact, you could see it through his dark grey fur. Roxanne just laughed at his embarrassment, "You'll see chico, you'll see." She patted his bicep and left the room.

As soon as she left he started wondering about what she said. Once his fur had returned to the normal color, it raced back to the previous red when Sly pondered the innocence of Carmelita. 'It's none of my buisiness.' He told himself, but he quickly shooed away that inner voice and began to wonder once again.

Carmelita walked into the living room of her apartment. Sly was sitting on the couch, watching his favorite show Psych. "Hey, querera!" He called out. "How was work?" She gave him a scornful look before she ambled over to the couch and sat a few feet away from him.

"Like you really care." She said, her eyes now glued to the TV show.

"No, I really do." He said, she turned to face him and saw he was looking at her.

"The usual. I did paperwork until about 1 and then I went out and prowled." She started laughing.

"What, sweetheart?" Carmelita gave him a look that said, enough with the flirting, but then smiled. "When I was patrolling I accidently interrupted some teenagers who were major lip-locking." She giggled again.

Sly thought she was so beautiful when she smiled and laughed. 'Stop it.' He told himself. "That's funny." He chuckled.

"You should've seen the boy's face. He was a little raccoon. 'I wasn't gonna go any farther. I swear!' It was hilarious!" Carmelita was cracking up. Sly completely forgot about the show he was watching.

"Chastity's for lovers, right?" He said, probably for the hundreth time in his life. Carmelita's laugh suddenly ceased.

"What'd you just say?" She said rather seriously.

"Um... Chastity is for lovers." He said quietly, afraid he said the wrong thing.

A large smile blossomed across her face. "Ya know, I never thought you'd say."

"How come?" He asked, truly wondering why. Doubt covered Carmelita's remarkable face.

"No offense, but I thought you were the ladies man, ya know? New girl each week, never any regret, something doesn't work out, who cares! Right?" Carmelita voiced.

Sly shook his head. "Mi cielo, how little you know about me." There was an akward moment. "I've only had one real relationship. You know how that turned out..." He became silent. Carmelita could see that he still hurt. "I mean, we didn't even get very far." He quickly cut himself off. He blushed rather obviously at what he just suggested. Carmelita became embarassed for him. It was silent for a few minutes, neither animal knew what to say.

"I-" Sly started but Carmelita stopped him.

"I thinks it's really great your still a virgin. Most guys at my office always talk about stuff that's degrading to women and it's refreshing to know that there's at least one gentleman in my life." She said with a small smile.

Sly looked at Carmelita, searching her face. 'Could this be my chance?' Sly thought. "Carmelita..." He softly whispered. What was that in her face? Anxiety? Nervousness? Hope? Fear?

He leaned forward, just a little.

Maybe a centimeter.

Her chocolate eyes looked him up and down.

She leaned forward a little too.

Sly reached up to touch her cheek, she didn't flinch but her eyes snapped down to look at the couch.

He put his hand under her chin and made her look at him.

He moved over so there bodies sat less than one foot apart.

He leaned forward to kiss her. He was so close, 8 inches. 6 inches. 4 inches. And she was going to kiss him too. 'Wait,' Her head told her. 'Your going to regret this, you will.'

He was 2 inches away. 'Are you sure?' His brain asked him 'No, i'm not, but thats whats so beautiful about it.' he said.

He was less than an inch away when Carmelita stood up. She listened to her head. "I-I gotta go." She said, her voice wavering. She walked out of the room towards her own.

"Damn it." Sly said quietly to himself. He turned off the TV and looked out the window. He watched as the rain fell outside. The lovely Parisian sky seemed to be mocking him. 'Watch me cry.' It said. 'Just watch me cry.'


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Carmelita stormed into her room to see Roxanne sitting on her bed, reading a book that Carmelita kept in her bedside table. Roxanne's pretty face looked up when she heard the door creek. "Muchacha, what's wrong?" She said when she saw her friend's troubled face. "Nothing. Just something Sly did... kinda." Carmelita saw anger flash through her cheetah's face. "It wasn't his fault though." She reassured. The rust colored eyes calmed slightly but anger was still behind them. A moment passed.

"Carm..." Roxanne said, breaking the silence. Carmelita's gaze directed itself on her friends face. "I want trabajar. I want to work." The accented voice declared.

"Oh, chica, that's wonderful. Where would you like to apply?" Carmelita responded. Roxanne dreamed for a moment. "I've always wanted to work with kids. You know, day care or something." Roxanne smiled at the thought of little cubs, clinging to her hands, asking her for help. But her smile fell onto the rug and shattered.

"What, chica?" Carmelita asked, noticing her friends distress. Roxanne's eyes began to water. "I wouldn't pass the drug test." Carmelita took the cheetah's hand and began to rub them. She felt bad for her friend. She had been through so much. "I'm sure we can get you a job. But first we've got to get you off it."

"Oh, i've already stopped. Months ago. But its still in my hair..."

Carmelita could think of nothing to say. At the police academy they learned about drug tests. There may be ways of passing urine samples but it was near impossible to pass hair folicle tests unless...

"Chica, how much do you love your hair?" Carmelita asked.

"I don't know, muchacha, it's imbetween curly and wavy and most of the time-" She started but suddenly she realized what Carmelita was suggesting. "Oh, chica, no!"

"C'mon. You said you quit months ago, that gives us a few inches! It'll be like a new begining." Carmelita let go of her hands and started to play with the shoulder length brown hair. Roxanne thought about her life with short hair, "It would be a change." She said aloud, "And change is what we're aiming for, right?"

Camelita walked out into the living room. She saw Sly and when he returned her gaze, they both blushed. "What do you want for dinner?" She asked him. "Um, whatever Inspector." He said respectfully. It was a rather akward moment. Roxanne walked in, "Chica, how about empanadas?" Carmelita pouted her lips in thought. "Sounds easy enough." She moved over to the kitchen and started making their dinner.

"So, Roxanne, what exactly are empanadas?" Sly asked his new cheetah friend who had sat down on the bed next to him. He was suprised to see anger go through her eyes. "They are fat tortillas that you can pile toppings on or inside." She said coldly. Carmelita looked over at her friend, why was she acting so weird? Sly leaned closer to her nonromantically. "What's wrong, feminina?" he asked her quietly enough so that Carmelita could not hear.

"What's wrong?" She whispered harshly, "You hurt my closest friends feelings this morning."

"What? This morning was a very akward and private conversation. I did nothing to hurt her!" Sly flung back.

"Yes you did, obviously! She came into the room looking very confused!"

"She looked confu-" Sly started to ask but then changed his mind. "This is none of your buisiness. What happened between Carmelita and I is private."

By now Carmelita had noticed the frantic whispering. "What are you guys talking about?" she asked, she had a feeling it was about her.

"What the heck emadina's are." Sly answered quickly. She started laughing. "Empanadas." She corrected. She ceased laughing and just smiled. She turned back to her cooking, her eyes still dancing.

Roxanne glared at Sly. Sly looked back at her but without such force. Then she caught him offguard. She reached her hand out and slapped his knee. "Ow! Damn, so beautiful yet so mean." He said with a teasing smile. He rubbed his knee, it hurt. Carmelita smiled at the flirty banterings. She found herself watching them more than watching what she was making.

Roxanne smiled and said, "That's what they tell me."

Sly's smile faded and his eyes grew glazed.

"Mapache, que es tu problema?" Carmelita asked him, her concern growing.

Sly was silent a moment before he mumbled, "Um, it's just Monique used to always say that." He instantly started thinking about that amazing girl who had so recently broke many of his bones and in a way, part of his heart. Only part because that's all he'd been willing to give her. Part of it would always belong to a fox who was in the room he was in now.

A soundtrack of what happened played through his head. When he was confused about Carmelita - Rough Draft by Yellow Card. When he was confused about Carmelita and Monique - Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston. When he was pretty much over Carmelita for the time being and was falling for Monique - Just the Girl by The Click Five. When, or now, Monique betrayed him - Thx fr the Mmrs by Fall Out Boy. Even somewhere, Monique's favorite song - I Like Money by the Millionaires. And now, being alone in this apartment, except for two remarkable women, living in the past and fighting his present emotions, his mental Ipod could only go back to Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston.

Carmelita and Roxanne exchanged silent glances. Roxanne nodded to him, trying to get Carmelita to console him. Carmelita shook her head fiercely. She then mouthed, "Your closest!"

"What?" Roxanne mouthed back. Carmelita pointed at her and then at the thinking raccoon. Roxanne frowned and shook her head slowly. Carmelita took one of her newly finished empanadas and threw it at the cheetah. It hit Sly instead. "What the?" He asked, suprised. Roxanne snorted with laughter and Carmelita blushed at Sly threw her friendly accusational glances. "Sorry," She muttered. "Dinner's ready." She picked up a plate of fat little tortillas and put them on the table. Roxanne got up and floated herself over. Sly, after a moment of physical objection, made his way to the little table, leaning against various things. He sat down and, after saying grace, they all began to eat.

"This is really good, Inspector." Sly said shyly.

"Thanks, Cooper." Carmelita replied. She wasn't used to the shyness and distance from the raccoon. He smiled at her and she smiled shyly back.

After a few hours of television in the living room, Roxanne yawned. "I'm going to sleep now." She stood up and stretched her long arms above her head. She leaned down and kissed Carmelita, who was sitting on the opposite side of the pull out couch from Sly, on the cheek. "Goodnight, muchacha." She then took two steps and leaned over to kiss Sly on the cheek but he swiveled his head and kissed her on the lips. "Oh you rougue!" She said and swatted him on the knee. Sly yelped quietly, pretending to be hurt. 'That makes 4.' Sly thought. Besides pecks on the cheek and hands, he'd only kissed 4 women before. When he was 13, he had kissed a girl named Sally during spin the bottle at the orphanage. When he was 18, he had kissed Carmelita to distract her after he had defeated Clockwerk. Recently he had kissed Monique, one of the most beautiful, and decietful, girls who he'd ever meet. And just a minute ago he had kissed Roxanne. She made her way to the bedroom while Sly thought a moment longer. "Inspector?" He said

"Yes, Cooper?" She answered, her eyes still watching the screen.

"Your bed is only a twin size, that wouldn't fit two people. Where are you going to sleep?" He asked her, he wouldn't admit it, even in his own mind, but he wished she would say with him. Carmelita slowly turned her head towards him. "We're both adults, Cooper. If you can keep your hands off of me then I would like to sleep out here." She said seriously.

"Inspector, I would never think of touching you without your consent." He said truthfully with a little smile. "But with your consent..." He hinted

Carmelita blushed, "Senor. Don't forget I have my shock pistol."

Sly got the hint but he still waggled an eyebrow suggestingly. Carmelita let out a very soft chuckle.

It became silent once more. "So you slept with me last night?" Sly said suddenly. They both started laughing at the way he said that. "You know what I mean."

"Yes, Cooper, I did. And keep your shirt on this time." This triggered another round of laughter. They were both in a hyper mood. After a few minutes, once their laughter died down, Carmelita said, "You know what, Cooper?"

"what, beautiful?"

"Don't call me that." She said, pressing her ears against her head.

"Why?"

"Your a criminal."

"And your beautiful." She laughed.

"And your a flirt."

"Me? Sly Cooper? I'm not a flirt!"

"You? Not a flirt? That's like saying I'm not Spanish."

"What? Your not Spanish?"

"What? Cooper, you are confusing!" Carmelita said, slightly annoyed but extremely entertained.

"And you are beau-ti-ful." They both started laughing.

"I'll be right back, Cooper. I'm gonna change into my pj's." Carmelita said. He watched her dissappear. 'What a woman.' He thought.

After a few minutes she appeared wearing some boxers and a white camiouselle tank top. Sly noticed she had very toned legs. She straightened up the sheets and bed dressings that had been wrinkled from everyone sitting on them all day. Then, Carmelita slipped herself under the covers. She reached up and turned off a light that was nearby.

"Goodnight, Ringtail." She said, the akwardness from that afternoon almost gone.

"Goodnight, querera." The raccoon replied. He turned off the TV and lay himself down. It was now pitch black except for the city lights and the stars you could see out the window. 'What a beautiful sight.' Sly thought. The funny thing was, Sly wasn't looking out the window. He was looking at his temporary roommate.

Carmelita was almost asleep when she whispered, "Cooper?"

"Yes, Inspector?" He said groggily, his heart beating faster.

"Keep your hands off of me..." She said quietly.

"You have my word."

So many responses flooded through her mind. Some mean, some nice, some flirty, some responsible. She knew that a few days ago she would've said something like, "And why would your word mean anything to me?" But she knew now that his word did mean something. He was an honorable raccoon, a gentleman. She smiled. "Thanks." She whispered, before slipping into dreamland.

The beautiful cat stared at herself in the mirror. She was wearing barely anything, just a lacey bra and panties. She ran her hand through her long black hair. "How dare that stupid little raccoon!" She said angrily to herself. "Lying to me and cheating on me! And with a cop!" She was so mad she had half a mind to go to the dance studio she left him at to yell at him. She decided against it and, in anger, took a brush off her dressing table and threw at the mirror. She watched her image break into a thousand little peices. She ran over to her bed and lay down on it. Monique reached over and turned on the radio.

_You're way too beautiful Girl_

_ That's why it'll never work_

Memories of her and Sly danced through her head for he had often told her that she was way too beautiful.

_Monique jumped off the side of the bridge into Sly's arms. She felt his muscular body tense and then relax at the contact. He smiled, 'Damn, was he handsome' she thought. He spun her around slowly and then put her on her feet. He pulled her into a soft kiss. She felt his hands go up to between her shoulder blades, she got goosebumps but didn't refuse. She pulled her lips away from his and stared into his deep brown eyes. They had so many emotions in them, hurt, love, anger, fear, and confusion. She reached up one of her manicured hands and swept part of his overgrown hair out of his face._

_"Sly?" She said._

_"Yes, gorgeous?" He said. Her heart started beating faster. She leaned in and rested her head lightly on his shoulder. "I love you." She said._

_He inhaled sharply. "I love you too." His arms, wrapped around her, tightened. He didn't want anything to happen to his girl. _

_"Sing to me, Sly." She said softly._

_"Your kidding, right?" He said with a chuckle. He had an okay voice but he was no where near Broadway material. When she didn't reply he started to chant quietly:_

No more talk of darkness,

Forget these wide-eyed fears.

I'm here, nothing can harm you -

my words will warm and calm you.

_She gasped. "Phantom of the Opera? I love that play."_

_He smiled handsomely, "I'll get you tickets."_

_And he continued to sing. _

Monique, still outraged, ripped the radio out of its plug and stormed out of her room. When she stormed by the living room her dad called "Sweetheart?" after seeing his daughted lope by, barely wearing anything. "Shut up Daddy!" She barked. After reaching the front door she grabbed a coat and ran out the door. She put on her leather jacket, making sure to still reveal part of her beautiful body. She walked the few mile walk to the bridge and, once there, through the radio into the river.

"You lied!" She shouted at the air. "You don't love me! You just wanted to get into my pants and into my wallet! You stupid raccoon!" She then collapsed into a pile and started to cry to herself.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Carmelita stormed into her room to see Roxanne sitting on her bed, reading a book that Carmelita kept in her bedside table. Roxanne's pretty face looked up when she heard the door creek. "Muchacha, what's wrong?" She said when she saw her friend's troubled face. "Nothing. Just something Sly did... kinda." Carmelita saw anger flash through her cheetah's face. "It wasn't his fault though." She reassured. The rust colored eyes calmed slightly but anger was still behind them. A moment passed.

"Carm..." Roxanne said, breaking the silence. Carmelita's gaze directed itself on her friends face. "I want trabajar. I want to work." The accented voice declared.

"Oh, chica, that's wonderful. Where would you like to apply?" Carmelita responded. Roxanne dreamed for a moment. "I've always wanted to work with kids. You know, day care or something." Roxanne smiled at the thought of little cubs, clinging to her hands, asking her for help. But her smile fell onto the rug and shattered.

"What, chica?" Carmelita asked, noticing her friends distress. Roxanne's eyes began to water. "I wouldn't pass the drug test." Carmelita took the cheetah's hand and began to rub them. She felt bad for her friend. She had been through so much. "I'm sure we can get you a job. But first we've got to get you off it."

"Oh, i've already stopped. Months ago. But its still in my hair..."

Carmelita could think of nothing to say. At the police academy they learned about drug tests. There may be ways of passing urine samples but it was near impossible to pass hair folicle tests unless...

"Chica, how much do you love your hair?" Carmelita asked.

"I don't know, muchacha, it's imbetween curly and wavy and most of the time-" She started but suddenly she realized what Carmelita was suggesting. "Oh, chica, no!"

"C'mon. You said you quit months ago, that gives us a few inches! It'll be like a new begining." Carmelita let go of her hands and started to play with the shoulder length brown hair. Roxanne thought about her life with short hair, "It would be a change." She said aloud, "And change is what we're aiming for, right?"

Camelita walked out into the living room. She saw Sly and when he returned her gaze, they both blushed. "What do you want for dinner?" She asked him. "Um, whatever Inspector." He said respectfully. It was a rather akward moment. Roxanne walked in, "Chica, how about empanadas?" Carmelita pouted her lips in thought. "Sounds easy enough." She moved over to the kitchen and started making their dinner.

"So, Roxanne, what exactly are empanadas?" Sly asked his new cheetah friend who had sat down on the bed next to him. He was suprised to see anger go through her eyes. "They are fat tortillas that you can pile toppings on or inside." She said coldly. Carmelita looked over at her friend, why was she acting so weird? Sly leaned closer to her nonromantically. "What's wrong, feminina?" he asked her quietly enough so that Carmelita could not hear.

"What's wrong?" She whispered harshly, "You hurt my closest friends feelings this morning."

"What? This morning was a very akward and private conversation. I did nothing to hurt her!" Sly flung back.

"Yes you did, obviously! She came into the room looking very confused!"

"She looked confu-" Sly started to ask but then changed his mind. "This is none of your buisiness. What happened between Carmelita and I is private."

By now Carmelita had noticed the frantic whispering. "What are you guys talking about?" she asked, she had a feeling it was about her.

"What the heck emadina's are." Sly answered quickly. She started laughing. "Empanadas." She corrected. She ceased laughing and just smiled. She turned back to her cooking, her eyes still dancing.

Roxanne glared at Sly. Sly looked back at her but without such force. Then she caught him offguard. She reached her hand out and slapped his knee. "Ow! Damn, so beautiful yet so mean." He said with a teasing smile. He rubbed his knee, it hurt. Carmelita smiled at the flirty banterings. She found herself watching them more than watching what she was making.

Roxanne smiled and said, "That's what they tell me."

Sly's smile faded and his eyes grew glazed.

"Mapache, que es tu problema?" Carmelita asked him, her concern growing.

Sly was silent a moment before he mumbled, "Um, it's just Monique used to always say that." He instantly started thinking about that amazing girl who had so recently broke many of his bones and in a way, part of his heart. Only part because that's all he'd been willing to give her. Part of it would always belong to a fox who was in the room he was in now.

A soundtrack of what happened played through his head. When he was confused about Carmelita - Rough Draft by Yellow Card. When he was confused about Carmelita and Monique - Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston. When he was pretty much over Carmelita for the time being and was falling for Monique - Just the Girl by The Click Five. When, or now, Monique betrayed him - Thx fr the Mmrs by Fall Out Boy. Even somewhere, Monique's favorite song - I Like Money by the Millionaires. And now, being alone in this apartment, except for two remarkable women, living in the past and fighting his present emotions, his mental Ipod could only go back to Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston.

Carmelita and Roxanne exchanged silent glances. Roxanne nodded to him, trying to get Carmelita to console him. Carmelita shook her head fiercely. She then mouthed, "Your closest!"

"What?" Roxanne mouthed back. Carmelita pointed at her and then at the thinking raccoon. Roxanne frowned and shook her head slowly. Carmelita took one of her newly finished empanadas and threw it at the cheetah. It hit Sly instead. "What the?" He asked, suprised. Roxanne snorted with laughter and Carmelita blushed at Sly threw her friendly accusational glances. "Sorry," She muttered. "Dinner's ready." She picked up a plate of fat little tortillas and put them on the table. Roxanne got up and floated herself over. Sly, after a moment of physical objection, made his way to the little table, leaning against various things. He sat down and, after saying grace, they all began to eat.

"This is really good, Inspector." Sly said shyly.

"Thanks, Cooper." Carmelita replied. She wasn't used to the shyness and distance from the raccoon. He smiled at her and she smiled shyly back.

After a few hours of television in the living room, Roxanne yawned. "I'm going to sleep now." She stood up and stretched her long arms above her head. She leaned down and kissed Carmelita, who was sitting on the opposite side of the pull out couch from Sly, on the cheek. "Goodnight, muchacha." She then took two steps and leaned over to kiss Sly on the cheek but he swiveled his head and kissed her on the lips. "Oh you rougue!" She said and swatted him on the knee. Sly yelped quietly, pretending to be hurt. 'That makes 4.' Sly thought. Besides pecks on the cheek and hands, he'd only kissed 4 women before. When he was 13, he had kissed a girl named Sally during spin the bottle at the orphanage. When he was 18, he had kissed Carmelita to distract her after he had defeated Clockwerk. Recently he had kissed Monique, one of the most beautiful, and decietful, girls who he'd ever meet. And just a minute ago he had kissed Roxanne. She made her way to the bedroom while Sly thought a moment longer. "Inspector?" He said

"Yes, Cooper?" She answered, her eyes still watching the screen.

"Your bed is only a twin size, that wouldn't fit two people. Where are you going to sleep?" He asked her, he wouldn't admit it, even in his own mind, but he wished she would say with him. Carmelita slowly turned her head towards him. "We're both adults, Cooper. If you can keep your hands off of me then I would like to sleep out here." She said seriously.

"Inspector, I would never think of touching you without your consent." He said truthfully with a little smile. "But with your consent..." He hinted

Carmelita blushed, "Senor. Don't forget I have my shock pistol."

Sly got the hint but he still waggled an eyebrow suggestingly. Carmelita let out a very soft chuckle.

It became silent once more. "So you slept with me last night?" Sly said suddenly. They both started laughing at the way he said that. "You know what I mean."

"Yes, Cooper, I did. And keep your shirt on this time." This triggered another round of laughter. They were both in a hyper mood. After a few minutes, once their laughter died down, Carmelita said, "You know what, Cooper?"

"what, beautiful?"

"Don't call me that." She said, pressing her ears against her head.

"Why?"

"Your a criminal."

"And your beautiful." She laughed.

"And your a flirt."

"Me? Sly Cooper? I'm not a flirt!"

"You? Not a flirt? That's like saying I'm not Spanish."

"What? Your not Spanish?"

"What? Cooper, you are confusing!" Carmelita said, slightly annoyed but extremely entertained.

"And you are beau-ti-ful." They both started laughing.

"I'll be right back, Cooper. I'm gonna change into my pj's." Carmelita said. He watched her dissappear. 'What a woman.' He thought.

After a few minutes she appeared wearing some boxers and a white camiouselle tank top. Sly noticed she had very toned legs. She straightened up the sheets and bed dressings that had been wrinkled from everyone sitting on them all day. Then, Carmelita slipped herself under the covers. She reached up and turned off a light that was nearby.

"Goodnight, Ringtail." She said, the akwardness from that afternoon almost gone.

"Goodnight, querera." The raccoon replied. He turned off the TV and lay himself down. It was now pitch black except for the city lights and the stars you could see out the window. 'What a beautiful sight.' Sly thought. The funny thing was, Sly wasn't looking out the window. He was looking at his temporary roommate.

Carmelita was almost asleep when she whispered, "Cooper?"

"Yes, Inspector?" He said groggily, his heart beating faster.

"Keep your hands off of me..." She said quietly.

"You have my word."

So many responses flooded through her mind. Some mean, some nice, some flirty, some responsible. She knew that a few days ago she would've said something like, "And why would your word mean anything to me?" But she knew now that his word did mean something. He was an honorable raccoon, a gentleman. She smiled. "Thanks." She whispered, before slipping into dreamland.

The beautiful cat stared at herself in the mirror. She was wearing barely anything, just a lacey bra and panties. She ran her hand through her long black hair. "How dare that stupid little raccoon!" She said angrily to herself. "Lying to me and cheating on me! And with a cop!" She was so mad she had half a mind to go to the dance studio she left him at to yell at him. She decided against it and, in anger, took a brush off her dressing table and threw at the mirror. She watched her image break into a thousand little peices. She ran over to her bed and lay down on it. Monique reached over and turned on the radio.

_You're way too beautiful Girl_

_ That's why it'll never work_

Memories of her and Sly danced through her head for he had often told her that she was way too beautiful.

_Monique jumped off the side of the bridge into Sly's arms. She felt his muscular body tense and then relax at the contact. He smiled, 'Damn, was he handsome' she thought. He spun her around slowly and then put her on her feet. He pulled her into a soft kiss. She felt his hands go up to between her shoulder blades, she got goosebumps but didn't refuse. She pulled her lips away from his and stared into his deep brown eyes. They had so many emotions in them, hurt, love, anger, fear, and confusion. She reached up one of her manicured hands and swept part of his overgrown hair out of his face._

_"Sly?" She said._

_"Yes, gorgeous?" He said. Her heart started beating faster. She leaned in and rested her head lightly on his shoulder. "I love you." She said._

_He inhaled sharply. "I love you too." His arms, wrapped around her, tightened. He didn't want anything to happen to his girl. _

_"Sing to me, Sly." She said softly._

_"Your kidding, right?" He said with a chuckle. He had an okay voice but he was no where near Broadway material. When she didn't reply he started to chant quietly:_

No more talk of darkness,

Forget these wide-eyed fears.

I'm here, nothing can harm you -

my words will warm and calm you.

_She gasped. "Phantom of the Opera? I love that play."_

_He smiled handsomely, "I'll get you tickets."_

_And he continued to sing. _

Monique, still outraged, ripped the radio out of its plug and stormed out of her room. When she stormed by the living room her dad called "Sweetheart?" after seeing his daughted lope by, barely wearing anything. "Shut up Daddy!" She barked. After reaching the front door she grabbed a coat and ran out the door. She put on her leather jacket, making sure to still reveal part of her beautiful body. She walked the few mile walk to the bridge and, once there, through the radio into the river.

"You lied!" She shouted at the air. "You don't love me! You just wanted to get into my pants and into my wallet! You stupid raccoon!" She then collapsed into a pile and started to cry to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sly watched as Carmelita walked out of the room. He opened his mouth, could he say anything? He was sure that he saw, if just for a moment, the emotional side of Carmelita. What was he going to do now? He limped back to Carmelita's bed and lay down. He stared out the ceiling. He cussed rather harshly below his breath. He sprung up and limped to the doorway. He pawed around and switched on the light. Her room became visable.

It had light tan colored walls with pictures of her, her family and her friends framed on one wall. Right below the pictures was her desk, it had carefully stacked books that she'd never read and perfectly organized were letters and bills. He walked towards her desk and looked for a pen and some paper. He opened the first drawer, files. He opened the second one, it was stationary. He picked up a piece of lavender paper and began to write. His uneven print started to fill the page.

Bentley,

If you're good enough then I'm sure you'll find this, somehow. I'm with the person who's pictures take up most of your hard drive. Bring clothes, I smell. Come find me, I need out. Soon.

Sorry,

your lifelong friend

He grabbed the paper, folded it into a paper airplane and threw it out the window. He watched it float gentley onto a rooftop, a theif's best friend.

Carmelita walked out into the living room, confused, and saw that the bed was empty. Roxanne sat at the table in the kitchen and had made two cups of hot chocolate. "Muchacha..." She said quietly, motioning to the chair next to her. Carmelita sat down and sipped at her hot chocolate. Roxanne looked at her expectingly. The fox knew that she wanted her to explain about what happened but she was stubborn and unwillling to talk about it so she just sipped her hot coco.

"Are you going to tell me?" Roxanne finally said with a sigh.

"I wasn't planning on it." Carmelita said looking out the window. She saw a piece of paper float by and land on a rooftop.

"Your stubborn."

"And your beautiful." Carmelita said, absent mindedly. Sly had told her the same exact thing a day before. A small smile grew on her face.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"That was not nothing."

"Maybe it wasn't"

Sigh. "Then what was it?"

"Something."

Roxanne threw up her hands and tapped Carmelita on the forehead forcefully. Carmelita wrinkled her nose and the both giggled.

"You need to tell me." Roxanne urged.

"No... I don't." Carmelita said quietly.

"Why the hell not?"

Carmelita sucked in her breath, she was going to be honest. "Because if I tell you, then I'd be accepting the truth of the situation."

An akward moment passed. "Oh."

Carmelita smiled caringly and let out a soft chuckle. They both let the moment pass. It wasn't akward and they were both happy. This moment would be filed away for a long time. There was nothing special about it, it was just a night that so many things were wrong about but a moment that so many things were right. Carmelita pulled her gaze from the window and stole a glance at her friend. Her hair was piled up on her head with a rubber band and her make up was erased permanantly. "You're really pretty." Carmelita told her. Roxanne blushed then scowled, she'd never know what happened.

"Ladies?" They heard. Both of their heads turned around. Sly was standing in the hallway. His shirt was offm exposing his now uncovered abs, and his hair was messy in a handsome way. He looked tired but inside he was anything but. His heart was beating a mile a minute as he saw Carmelita. She was the kind of beautiful you don't try to be. She'd take your breath away even if she was barely breathing and she'd always smile because she's just too damn proud to show how she really felt.

Carmelita forced herself to look at him. Her heart seemed to skip a beat, all these feeling's she was experiencing were because of him. She shook her mind, this isn't what was supposed to be, it was wrong. He smiled gentlely at them both. 'Damn, she's so beautiful.'

_"Oh, chico... it's not your fault." Carmelita had just reassured him that it was both of their doing's that they were locked up in an abandoned dance studio._

_"Beautiful girls sure are deceptive, aren't they?" She said calmly. His eyes were closed in pain but he cracked one of them open. She was wearing a black dress and her lang way hair had fallen onto her shoulders. 'She doesn't know how beautiiful she is. She can't see what everyone else does.' _

_"You never decieved me." He told her. It wasn't just a flirtatious comment, it was the truth. _

"What do you want?" Roxanne's accented voice asked him.

He pretended to yawn. "I heard voices and I wanted to know if everything is okay."

"We're fine." Roxanne told him. He started to turn when he heard the scraping of a chair. He looked to see that Carmelita had gotten up and started to clean the mug she had just used. She was biting her lip, that meant she was thinking. Roxanne gave Sly a look that said 'What happened?' Sly shrugged and decided to amble over to the table and took a seat next to Roxie. She reached out and started to stroke his hand. 'What's going to happen now?' he thought. He felt a deep ache in his chest. Carmelita turned off the faucet and sat back down at the table. She still hadn't said anything since Sly's arrival.

"What do you regret the most, Papi?" Roxanne suddenly asked Sly.

He smiled slightly, "Never regret anything that made you smile, Stunning." He told her. Roxanne blushed and Carmelita smiled quietly at his flirtiness.

"What about you?" He addressed back to Roxanne.

"Ah. I don't know. Probably losing my innocence." She said. "Not that you'd know what that feels like." She couldn't pass up the opportunity. Sly blushed very deeply and Carmelita and Roxanne giggled. After the moment of silliness passed Roxanne asked Carmelita.

She was silent and studied the pattern of the table. "Rox, you know I don't like talking about this kind of stuff."

"What kind of stuff, Inspector?" Sly asked politely.

After a moment Carmelita responded, "I don't know. Feelings I guess..." She let the thought drift off and she looked up at her two friends. "Especially ones that were wrong." Sly blinked.

"Your feelings can't be wrong."

"Yes they can." Carmelita replied stubbornly. Sly shook his head and crossed his arms. They glared at eachother. Sly scooted his chair out and sauntered back to the room he was sleeping in. Once he was there he pulled himself into bed and closed his eyes.

_Tap, tap, tap. _"What the hell?" Sly asked and opened his eyes. The sun was blinding and he squinted to the origin of the noise, the window. His eyes shot open when he saw a green turtle, bundled in sweaters, tapping on the window. "Bentley!" He exclaimed.

He jumped out of the bed and scrambled to the window and let him in. Bentley started to say something but Sly quieted him. He glanced at the clock, Carmelita had already left. He turned back to his turtle friend and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "Damn it, Bent. I'm so sorry. I was such a jerk, you were just trying to help me." He told the turtle.

Bentley shook his head, "It's okay. Love does weird things to a man. Now explain to me wh-" His nasily voice began to say when he was interupted by a scream. They both whirled around and saw Roxanne standing in the doorway. "Rox!" Sly gasped. They heard a thump and Sly turned around again and saw that Bentley had passed out. Sly snorted back laughter. Roxanne's face of horror grew to impatiance. "Papi! What the hell do you think your doing! Who is this?" Sly thought a moment but realised he didn't really know. Was he going to go back to his place? He should after what he told Carmelita. He knew, though, that they'd have to pack up and leave. Monique was on to them. Would he stay there? Carmelita didn't have to know about the turtle. Roxanne could be trusted. He picked up the light turtle and layed him down on Carmelita's bed. He shook him a moment but stopped when his eyes started to blink behind his glasses. Sly motioned for the cheetah to sit next to him. She sauntered over and sat down. Bentley eyed her nervously.

"Listen, Lady and Gentleturtle." They both smiled at this comment. He proceded to tell them both what had happened since the night he met Monique. When the part that Roxanne already knew came up he basically began to just address Bentley. He left out the part about last night. "That's great and all but why do you have to leave?" Bentley was happy to see his friend and all but his note had an urgency to him. Sly blushed lightly, not visable below his dark fur. "Well, last night I was trying to sleep when I heard some rummaging. I looked up and Carmelita was in that chair over there." He acknowledged a white whicker chair with cushions and blankets on it. "She told me she had a bad dream and that it was about me being hurt by her. I couldn't stand it anymore and I had to tell her how I felt! I just got into this huge speech about how I loved her and that even though it was so wrong. I'd be wrong if it meant she'd be wrong too... Then she didn't say anything so I apologized." He let the thought drift of. He was swept away by bittersweet emotions. His friends could see the hurt on his face. "What did she say?" Bentley asked quietly.

"'It's okay Sly, we're all wrong sometimes.'" He told them.

"Harsh." Bentley said, Sly gave him a small side smile. Roxanne nodded her head.

"What should I do?" He asked them both. They were both silent in thought before Roxanne jumped up. "Oh, papi! I will help you!" She exclaimed

"What?" Sly asked her. He prayed that it was an excellant solution. Roxanne smiled devilishly and shook her head. "You will see tonight." And with that she walked away. Bentley and Sly looked at one another, confusion written on their faces. "We'll just have to wait." They talked awhile longer about how Murray was doing and how things were holding up. He'd been gone only a few days but to him it seemed like forever. "I'll be home soon, Nurdle." He assured his green friend.

"Nurdle?" Bentley said chuckling.

"Yeah... A nerdy turtle." They laughed again and Bentley climbed out the window.

"Bye, Sly."

"Bye, Bent."

Carmelita got home after a very busy day at work. She had busted some druggies and filled out all the necessary paperwork. She walked in the door and bumped into Roxanne who was carrying some tomato soup. She accidently spilled it on Carmelita's pants, shirt and jacket. "Oh, chica! Lo siento!" Carmelita brushed off the apology and walked over to her room to change. She checked to make sure Sly wasn't inside before she pulled off her clothes. In her underwear, she opened the first drawer of her dresser and, laying right on top, was a pretty blue dress. Carmelita shrugged and pulled it on. She walked out of the room and while in the hallway noticed that the shower was running. 'Sly must be bathing', she thought.

She arrived at the living room and Roxanne beckoned her to sit on the foldable bed with her. They both turned to the TV and were watching a dramatic show. During commercial Roxanne turned to her dear friend and pleaded to let her play with her always braided hair. Carmelita normally would've opposed but she gave in for the cheetah. The show turned back on and Roxanne got to work running her fingers through and shaping the beautiful wavy, dark hair. They were both too distracted to see Sly walk out towards the bedroom. Once inside he changed into the clothes Bentley had brought him. It was a light blue collared t-shirt and some dark blue jeans. He walked out into the living room.

He smiled when he saw the two girls on the bed. He had never seen Carmelita's hair down except for the time when she was coming. It was longer then he thought it was, and it was so beautiful. Wavy and deep black. He smiled and looked out the window, the sun was setting. It had to be after seven. Suddenly he was pulled back to reality when he heard the door open and close. He looked over to Carmelita and saw she was alone. "What? Where did Roxanne go?" He asked her. She jumped and turned around. Sly walked to the table and sat down on the top. He instantly noticed she was wearing the dress. It showed off her shapely arms and legs nicely. Her hair was still down but part of it was pulled back from the front into a small ponytail in the back. She giggled quietly, "Did you not hear her? She's going to her hair appointment."

Sly thought this was kind of weird because it was so late and was about to say so when he realised that this might be part of her plan. "Oh... I'll make dinner tonight. You've been to kind doing it everytime." He offered and got off the table and meandered over to the fridge and opened it up. "How does Chinese food sound?" He asked her after peering at the food inside.

She shrugged and got up from the bed and walked over to stand next to him beside the fridge. She could smell the shampoo he used. It was the kind Roxanne insisted she pick up on the way home from work. 'That's weird.' She thought but had to admit that it smelled very good. They were standing so close, they both noted to themselves. "Can you make chinese food?" She asked, turning her full attention to her.

His expression became comical, "Um... actually. I can't..." They both laughed at the silliness. He turned back to the fridge and saw a bakeable pizza. "How about pizza?" He asked her. She shrugged. "Why not?" She turned and walked away from him. Sly inhaled the smell of her perfume as she walked away. It was something fresh and clean but wonderful smelling. He took out the pizza and preheated the oven then he ambled over to the bed and sat on the other side of Carmelita.

"The Hills?" He asked when he realised what they were watching.

"I was just about to change it..." She said and opened up the guide.

"No... it's okay. We can watch this." She looked over at him and, once she knew he wasn't kidding, put her attention back on the show. He pointed at the main character. "Who is that?" He asked her, it was a tall blonde cat. "That's Lauren Conrad."

"Oh." They watched in silence for the next few minutes before the oven beeped. It was heated up.

"Okay, is it... a... banana?" Sly asked her.

"Nope! It was a cucumber!" The fox told him. Sly knew it was a cucumber but he wanted her to win. "Damn." He acted to be annoyed. "I'm done with this game." He pressed his ears flat against his head and this caused Carmelita to laugh. The timer went off and Sly got up to retrieve the pizza. He brought it over to the kitchen table and layed it down in the middle. He sat down and after they said grace, said, "Bon Appetit." They both took a peice and began to eat. "How was work today?" He asked her.

"Okay. Easy without having to chase you." She told him

"Didn't they wonder what happened to me?"

"I told them that you left a note that said you were on vacation."

"Devious."

She smiled, "I know."

"My injuries are almost healed. I think i'll be able to go home soon. Our game of cops and robber will be back on." He smiled. There were very few things that gave him the same rush of excitement as being chased by Carmelita.

"Your a quick healer." She told him. She forced away the sadness that came inside of her when he announced his leaving.

"You know what?"

"What, Mapache?"

"We never finished our game of truth..." He smiled and waggled an eyebrow.

Carmelita groaned then giggled. "It's your turn."

"You remember who's turn it is?"

"Please, I remember everything important."

He gave her a skeptical look. "A game of truth is important?"

She scowled playfully, "No. It's just important to know your feelings get in the way of your work."

"Hmph." It was true but Sly didn't like to think about the dangerous characteristic.

Carmelita giggled but Sly didn't share the same light-heartedness.

"How do you do it?" Carmelita blinked

"What?"

"Not let your emotions effect you."

"Um..." She thought a moment. "It really started when I was young. I was always really emotional but when I was old enough to realize it was a bad thing I started to bottle it all up. I liked the secrecy." Sly could understand that. Something about knowing something that no one else knows is so liberating. "I pushed it all to the side and just did what I was supposed to do." She told him. She'd never really explained it to anyone like that. She'd never really explained it at all. He shook his head, "Isn't that hard?"

"Extremely."

'She's so strong.' He thought. She looked so beautiful with her hair down and her brown eyes sparkled when she wore that blue dress.

"What?" She asked when he noticed her staring at him. "Nothing." He said

"That was something." She told him.

"I just wouldn't be able to do it." She blushed attractively.

"Anyways," She said, changing the subject, "Your turn."

"Okay..." he thought a moment. He didn't want to embarass her but he wanted to take advantage of the moment to get to know her. "What's your favorite memory?"

She was silent a moment and Sly could see her memories flash through her eyes. "When I was driving in my brothers car to my grandparent's house. I was thirteen. There wasn't anything special about it but maybe that's why I remember it. I was happy." Sly smiled, happiness always made him smile.

"My turn." Carmelita stated. Sly pretended to be scared. "Do you have a secret talent and if so, what is it?"

Sly chuckled. Things floated through his mind but he kept going back on singing. He had never sang to anyone but he knew he was okay. "Um..., Inspector, you're gonna laugh at this one."

"Tell me," She pleaded.

"I... sing." Carmelita giggled. "Sing to me." Sly had heard those words before but when his heart tried to pull him back into memories, he told it no. He didn't want to sing to Carmelita, he didn't even know if he could remember the words to a song. "Um... what should I sing?"

"I don't know. What's your favorite song?"

That was easy for him, "All the Small Things, Blink-182."

"Sing part of that." Sly took a deep breath. "All the... Small things..." Carmelita giggled and Sly blushed in response. "I'm not that good..." He started but she cut him off. "No, you are. It's just funny. I mean, here you are, this macho manly theiving raccoon and you're singing a rock love song to the cop that's been trying to land your butt in jail." He chuckled, it was rather silly. "My turn." He told the fox.

"You're not going to finish singing?"

"Hell no." They both laughed. "Have you ever been in love?"

Carmelita bit her lip. "Yeah, I have." Sly smiled suavely.

"With who?" She shook her head. "Only one question."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Fine..." Sly sighed. "Your turn."

Carmelita was silent a moment. "Did you mean it?"

Sly was puzzled. "Yeah... i just went."

"No..." She stopped and wondered if this was a good idea. It really wasn't but she couldn't very well rewind time. Being the cunning raccoon he was, he'd figure it out. "What you said last night?"

He turned very red at the thought of what slipped from his toungue. She was just so beautiful he couldn't help himself. "Yeah, Inspector, I did." It was silent and Carmelita got mad at herself for asking it. 'It's like you want your heart to break.' She told herself. It was a very akward moment. Carmelita grabbed part of her hair and ran it through her hands. "Monique used to always do that." Sly told her.

"You compare us a lot." She told her. It was true. "Like it or not even though she's a lot like me we're not the same." She sounded so defensive, she didn't know why.

"Calm down, Princess. I never said you were. I mean, you. You're always singing and you're... real." He paused and was about to continue but Carmelita stopped him.

"What do you mean real?" She bit her lip.

"Well, Monique was... beautiful. But almost too beautiful. And she knew it. I mean, her favorite song... Gosh, what was it called? I Like Money. Have you ever heard that?" Carmelita had indeed heard that song. She'd made fun of it at work with some of her friends. "She seemed to care too much about what she wore and how she looked. You, you have this natural beauty thing going on. Almost like you don't know how beautiful you are."

Carmelita nodded and let out a small, "oh."

"And another thing..." He added, he could see the conflict in her eyes. Her heart was telling her one thing but her logical side had an equally convincing response. "You think logically, she was one to let her emotions get the best of her." She nodded her head as she looked him in the eyes. This was very true.

"Cooper, what else do you know about me?" She asked curiously.

"A lot, but we'd be here all night. Let's change the rules of the game." He changed the subject for the better. "Okay, what're you thinking?" She asked, her competitive side started to rile. "Let's add dare."

"Hm... okay. Its your turn. Don't go easy on me." Her eyes glistened.

"Truth or dare?" Sly asked very seriously.

"Dare." Carmelita said instantly. She was ready for some challenge.

Sly thought a moment and decided to take a chance. "Let me kiss you."

Carmelita blinked and blushed. She didn't want to back down. She wanted to kiss him but she knew she shouldn't. She inhaled sharply and said, "Make it quick."

Sly walked to were she was sittiing and kissed her softly on the lips. A tingle shot up and down their spines and Carmelita got goosebumps.

Sly smiled, "You liked it." He knelt down so they were at the same eye level.

"No, I didn't." Carmelita said, maybe a bit too aggressively.

"You're lying."

"What if I am?" She said stubbornly.

Sly sighed, "Tell me, Princess. Now when did you last let your heart decide? You're always thinking in logic. How logical is it to be unhappy?"

Carmelita broke their unwavering eye contact and looked at the ground. "Not very." She thought for a moment and realised she wasn't happy a lot of the time. She'd been happier in the last few days then she'd been in a long time. She felt his hand under her chin. She looked up at him. "We could be happy together." He told her quietly. She stared into his eyes for a moment and let herself be whisked away by emotion. "Cooper, I don't share the same feelings. I'm sorry." 'Yes you do!' Her heart screamed at her. He slowly pulled his hand away from her face and rested it in his lap.

"So there is no hope for us?" He asked her. He felt so vulnerable. He was leaving soon and he wanted to leave these emotions behind him. Was there anyone in the world who was right for Sly Cooper, master theif, masked raccoon?

"Mapache," Her face was very hard, not cold but serious. "there never was any hope for us. It would never work. We're opposites."

Sly swallowed hard and whispered, "But think of all the opposites that have worked. Man and woman. Questions and answers. Salt and pepper. Romeo and Juliet."

"Incase you didn't notice, Sly and Carm aren't on the list."

"That was cold." He said quietly.

She got off the chair and sat on her knees like he did. "I know and I'm sorry but it's the truth."

He chuckled hallowly. "The truth is painful."

"So is life." She slowly stood up. "You go to sleep. I'll clean this up."

He nodded and stood up. The raccoon then ambled to the bedroom he was staying in. 'I'm leaving tomorrow.' He promised himself. He folded down the blankets and got into bed. He strained his ears and listened to the song Carmelita was softly singing. He couldn't remember what it was called but it was about breaking out of jail.

Oddly enough, he felt a soft pain in his chest. He closed his eyes and welcomed the pain. He wanted to dwell in the moment, live in it. Let his emotions consume him so maybe the next day he can leave them in the room. He'd never have to come back. There were so many flaws in his plan but he didn't have the confidence to sort them out. A plan B would fall into play if needed. He let himself drift to sleep.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Carmelita was humming a new song by one of her favorite artists. She wanted to be like the women in the love songs. They were smart, beautiful and happy. Things would always end up in the rain with their true love holding them in their arms. "Why can't life be like that?" She said quietly. Carmelita heard the door open and Roxanne walked in with her new hair cut. It was short and spiked with gel. "Muchacha! I love it!" Carmelita said quietly.

Roxanne twirled around and said, "So do I! I'm glad you convinced me to do this." She giggled. "How was tonight alone with the master thief?"

Carmelita held back many adjectives that would describe the night. "Okay, but let's not talk about it." The fox looked down the hall to make sure the raccoon wasn't looking and slipped off her dress before climbing into bed. Roxanne pouted. "Just okay?"

"Just okay. Why? Were you expecting something?"

Roxanne looked her in the eyes and could see that she was holding something back. She knew that Carmelita was a tough girl with hidden emotions. Roxanne said, "No. You were just so beautiful I was wondering if any man could resist." They both giggled quietly. Roxanne hopped out of her clothes and climbed into bed too.

"Buenos noches, Carmelita." She whispered.

"Good night, my friend." They both said their prayers and fell asleep.

Sly woke up at 6:57. He could hear Carmelita shuffling around, getting ready for work that day. He stayed in bed until he heard her leave the apartment then Sly got up and walked into the living room. Roxanne was sitting at the table. "Nice haircut." Sly mumbled. It fit her face well and would look very good once it grew out a bit longer. "Thank you, Papi." As he walked by her he bent over and kissed her on the cheek. This caused her to blush and giggle.

"How was last night?" She asked him. He walked over to the fridge and got out a bagel. "Horrible, heartbreaking and hurtful." He said without thought. He knew he could trust Roxanne.

"That's a lot of alliteration." Sly chuckled at the witty comment. "Yeah and a lot of emotion." He moved over to the table and sat down. "I'm leaving today. Soon." He said, looking her in the eyes. She looked through the steam that came from her tea. "What will happen to us? Can we stay friends?" She asked him. She had grown to care for the raccoon very much and wanted their relationship to last.

"Please. I'm a master theif, I'll work something out." He smiled at her. He didn't want to leave her. They ate in silence. When he was done with his bagel, Sly pushed out his chair and started to walk over to the bedroom. Once inside, he made the bed, vaccuumed the carpets, washed the windows, and straightened up her desk. It was the least he could do. He packed up his tux and looked around her room one more time. His eyes fell upon a picture of her and a young cheetah on her desk. He walked over and with closer inspection saw the cheetah was Roxanne. They were both in volleyball uniforms and had large smiles on their faces. 'They both looked amazing' he thought. He looked at it for a few more seconds then walked into the living room.

While he was in Carmelita's bedroom Roxanne had pushed in the foldable bed. "Papi..." She said quietly. A silence followed that Roxanne broke. "Carmelita told me that if you were leaving to give this to you." She handed him a envelope that had Ringtail written in cursive on it. "She said read it once you leave." Before he could say anything

the tall cheetah pulled him into a tight hug. She rambled in spanish but Sly couldn't catch any of the words. She pulled her face away and kissed him on each cheek.

"Thanks Roxanne. Thanks for everything. Thank you for all the understanding and advice and friendship." He told her, his voice full of emotion. "We'll make this work and we'll stay friends. I promise." He pulled her into a hug and then broke away a moment later. "Good bye, Roxanne." He said as he walked out the door. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he opened the letter he still had in his hands.

Dear Ringtail.

Do you remember the first time we ever really talked? The first time we ever had a heart to heart? You had just stolen a priceless book from Sr. Francisco and were making a getaway in a small boat. I chased you with an Interpol motorboat but I pushed the engine too hard and it began to sink. I thought I was going to die that night because I'd never been the strongest swimmer. My heart was beating so fast that it seemed to jump out of my chest when you gave me your hand and lifted me into your boat. We drove a while in silence. I was either too embarrassed to admit that you had helped me or I was too suprised that you would help me to make a sound. Suddenly, the silence was interrupted by a sputter and we soon realized the gas tank was empty.

We sat in silence, except for you and a few mumbled curses, for about fifteen minutes when you finally asked me, "What shampoo do you use?" What a random question, Cooper! I said it was Dove. You told me that my hair was shiny and that you could smell its fresh scent. I've been using the same shampoo since. We got to talking. Truthfully it was more like you flirting and me retorting but you finally got me to admit that you were handsome. I don't remember how but all I remember was the embarrassment I felt after the words, "Your pretty handsome yourself, Cooper" escaped my lips. Its true though, you're very handsome.

We were finally rescued by AAA and you escaped acrobatically. Big suprise. I went home, took a shower and couldn't stop thinking about how charming and nice you were despite my stereotypes. Why am I telling you this? Because you did the same thing to me last night. After you told me how you wanted us to be together I thought my heart would explode. You're not the only one having these feelings but that doesn't change anything. I just wanted you to know that tomorrow things will be a little different, but I guess you'll just have to wait and see.

Hugs and Kisses

Carmelita Montoya Fox

Sly wanted to scream with happiness when he read that! What would tomorrow bring? He snuck over to the little gas station as fast as he could and threw open the door. He was finally home.


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow. I'm so smart. I can't believe I forgot to upload this.**

**I'm thinking of working on a sequel? Hm.... Maybe find someone for Roxanne?**

**Haha. Get back to me.  
**

Chapter 7

"So I'm... grounded?" Sly asked in disbelief.

"Well, yeah, basically, Sly." A familiar nasily voice responded. "You became emotionally involved with a criminal, lied to us, went missing in the middle of the night, and stayed at a Inspector of Interpol's house for the past week or so."

"I can't believe this. The last time I was grounded was the time I hotwired that car when I was 17. I though Mrs. Finch's beak was going to fall out." He remembered with a chuckle. "Now I'm being grounded by the two guys I grew up with? Well, I guess that's fine... for awhile at least. I'll stay home for a few days and heal up completely then I have an Inspector to stalk." He smiled and then ran down to his room. Once inside he tore off his clothes and hopped into the shower.

He was happy with the results of the past few days. He had no idea what was gonna happen but for once that was okay with him. Suprises, at least some of them, were good. He began humming a new song he heard on the radio at Carmelita's house.

_Do you catch your breath when I look at you? Are you holding back? Like I know you do._

A FEW DAYS LATER

Carmelita stood on a lonely rooftop. Snowflakes were falling from the heavens, each one different. They danced to the ground individually like ballerinas. She exhaled and could see her breath.

"Hello, Inspector." She turned around and saw Sly Cooper standing ten feet behind her in his normal get up. "Cooper!" She gasped and ran up to him and greeted him in a hug. He laughed and held her in his arms. "I missed you, Beautiful."

"I missed you too, Mapache." She pulled away from him and searched his face with her beautiful eyes. "If we get caught, I'll be fired." She said with a pout.

"We wouldn't want that now would we." Sly grinned handsomely. He pulled her close to him again and he whispered below his breath "We're not that different. You could always come work with me and the gang."

"Your wrong, Ringtail. We're very different but I'll remember that." She smiled prettily. "Just incase."

They held each other a moment longer before Carmelita pulled away from him. "You better go now." He frowned a moment and then said, "But i have a surprise for you." He opened the pack he had on his leg and took out a little red felted box. "I even bought it." Carmelita giggled and took the box. She opened it up and looked inside. It was a gold locket. "Oh, Sly! It's beautiful!" She cried softly.

"It's nothing compared to you." He whispered in her ear. "Look inside."

She opened the little flap and squinted to see what it said. _Two wrongs make a right. _"I love it!" She told him. He leaned over and kissed her sweetly on the cheek. "I'll go now."

"Chase ya later, mapache!" She told him excitedly.

"Hasta manana, Beautiful!" He called over his shoulder. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks as he heard a loud blast. A shock wave flew past his shoulder. When she saw a confused look on his face she said, "We have to make it believable." He chuckled and blew her a kiss before jumping off the side of the building.

"Bye bye, Ringtail." She whispered.

Carmelita finished her shift two hours later. She got home and opened the door to see Roxanne sitting on the couch. She was clenching a letter and crying hard. Carmelita rushed towards her and wrapped her arms around her. "Roxie, what's wrong?" Roxanne showed her the letter. There were two pages. The first was a flyer for a two bedroom, one bath house in Paris the other was written out in Sly's messy print. "What?" She choked out and began to read.

Dear Roxanne,

If you went to 211 West Acacia Street you would see the house on the flyer. If you walked up to the front door you would be able to open it. If you walked inside you'd see a hardwood floor, blue walls, and a patio. If you went down the hall to your right and entered the bedroom on your left you'd see your new bedroom. Congratulations, Gorgeous. You just got yourself a new house. Its all paid off. The papers are on the kitchen counter along with !,500 pounds to start you in your new life.

I worked out a deal with the Happy Camper Orphanage here in Paris and landed you a job as a big sister role model kinda thing. THe buisiness card is on the counter along with directions how to get there. You start Monday. And how will you get there? Well if you walked down the hall and opened the second door on your right you'd see a white XTerra. The tank is full and the keys are in the ignition.

I'll see you soon and be sure to say hello to everyone at the orphanage for me.

Lots of love and gratitude.

Sly Cooper

"Roxanne! This is wonderful!" She almost screamed. The tears were of happiness not of sadness. Roxanne nodded and managed to stop her tears for a moment to say. "I know. This raccoon is the blessing I've been praying for." She paused and sniffed. "He left something on your bed for you."

Carmelita's heart began to race and she ran down the hall and threw open the door. She looked and on her bed was a stunning red strapless bubble dress. Next to it were some white strappy stilletos and a white clutch. She gasped and after checking the windows were closed she tried it on. It fit her perfectly and so did the shoes. She twirled around in her beautiful new dress when her eyes fell on two tickets on the bed. They were tickets to Romeo and Juliet.

When Sly got home he jumped on the couch and kicked back. Bentley was tapping away at his computer and Murray was reading the comics. "Bentley. I broke my binocucom." Sly lied to his friend. "Again? Fine, i'll fix it in a minute."

"Thanks, I left it on the table in the kitchen."

"'Kay." He moved his mouse around and then closed his laptop. "I'll be back in fifteen." He waddled into the kitchen and they both heard a loud gasp. "Sly!" The nasily voice shouted.

He had no doubt noticed the complete collection of Star Wars movies, the Spiderman decals, the virtual reality head set, the new Suckerpunch video games, the computerized chess set and the remote controlled helicopter camera.

Back in the living room Sly assured everything was all right, he had just picked up a few gifts for him. Murray obviously looked jealous. "I got you something too. It's in the garage." He assured him. Murray threw down the newspaper and ran into the garage. Waiting for him was a certificate for 5 race car lessons.

JANUARY 2, ONE MONTH LATER

A white mustang pulled into a parking spot outside of Carmelita's apartment. A moment later a tuxed raccoon climbed out of it and walked to the front door. After three short knocks, Carmelita opened the door. She was wearing a strapless red dress and white heels. She had no problem recognizing him though he wasn't wearing his mask. The fur around his eyes was a dark grey not black. "Did you know you're my favorite hello?" She blushed and kissed him softly on the lips. "And you're my hardest goodbye." She whispered to him. He offered her his arm and they walked to the car together. He opened the door for her and after she got in he scrambled around and got into the driver's seat. "Ready, princess?"

"Yes. Sly, I have something to tell you." She said.

"What, querera?" His heart started to beat faster.

"Do you remember when you asked me when the last time my heart decided was?"

"Yeah" He said softly. He was afraid to admit he was scared.

"I know you totally stole that line from Aladdin." She giggled. Relief filled the young raccoon's body and he pulled the mustang into drive and they rode off.


	8. Sequel Teaser

Where is Your Boy Tonight? Teaser

"Freeze, Cooper." He heard Carmelita whisper into his ear. He turned around. "Ah, Detective. Looking very beautiful this evening."

He started to walk away when Roxanne stopped him. "Papi, why did you come here?" He looked her in the eyes and said, "Just making sure you're okay."

"Well I've been shaping young minds so they don't turn out to be criminals."

"Thank you then. That just makes Carmelita and I's job that much easier."

"Carmelita helps you?"

"Of course, she's the cop that's been assigned to catching me."

"Aw... illegal love, isn't it romantic."

"'Hey cutie...'" She started reading out loud and took a glance at him. "'Last night was great. Let's do it again, babe. Xoxo, Monie.' What the hell. Who is Monie?" "Monique..."

"All I'm saying is that I care about Roxanne like the sister I never had. No cheating, no ignoring, no hitting, no laying a single hand on her. Okay?"

"What if she wants it?"

"Wants what?"

"What if she _wants _me to lay a hand on her."


End file.
